8 commandments for retail and hospitality businesses

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1 8 commandments for retail and hospitality businesses And what your small business should do about them For companies with people in them

2 In retail and hospitality, success depends on delighting customers whether you do it with fresh donuts, artisan stationery, local flowers, high heels, small-batch beer, organic coffee, three-course dinners or just a beautiful night s sleep. Building that kind of customer goodwill feeds both your soul and your bank balance. But it s also a more-than-full-time job. Microbusiness owners are working an average of 52 hours a week. 1 There are some challenges forecasting demand, reaching new customers, building your brand that crop up every day. And evening. And in the middle of the night. Here s the good news. Today s technology like, you know, the Internet, and apps, and tablets and smartphones cuts a lot of these challenges down to size 1 alltopstartups.com/2015/10/05/how-entrepreneurs-work

3 Taking all kinds of payment, virtually everywhere Perhaps your business was born mobile, like a food truck. Or perhaps you ve got a storefront, but often sell at festivals and events, too. Wherever you do business, one thing s for sure. When a customer wants to buy, the last thing you want is to send them away to an ATM for cash, and risk cooling their desire to buy.

4 Overcoming the challenge Today you can take card payments, virtually anytime, anywhere, through your smartphone or tablet. Fast, secure, mobile payment card readers help small retail and hospitality businesses say yes to customers, whenever they want to buy. Even if you only do business on your own premises, empowering shop assistants to collect payment from a tablet or allowing servers to accept payment at the table cuts queues and wait times, leading to quicker sales, faster turning tables and happier customers.

5 Effectively forecasting demand Most seasonal demand spikes aren t as obvious as Christmas or Black Friday. And to get stock and staffing levels spot on, you need to see them coming.

6 Overcoming the challenge A good sales analysis app will let you crunch sales data for insights, identify seasonal patterns, and even track sales in real time helping you ensure sudden demand surges don t run your staff ragged, and your stockroom dry. Some mobile point-of-sale solutions actually come with inventory, marketing and sales analysis tools built in.

7 Keeping tabs on your bottom line Your business probably doesn t have a Head of Finance. Well, it probably does. It s you. And you need to know where every dollar goes.

8 Overcoming the challenge There are apps to help with every aspect of running a small business accounting included. Find the one that suits you best, then pair it with a smartphone or tablet, a trusty network, a flexible plan and a decent data allowance, and you can keep tabs on your bottom line, all the time.

9 Attracting the right customers (and staff) It s likely you re the de facto Head of Marketing, too. You need to build the buzz that will bring you new business and new, enthusiastic recruits. And you ve next-to-no time to do it.

10 Overcoming the challenge You re living in the 21 st century delegate to the Internet and social media. You can now automate everything from your marketing to your social media posts. There are services that will let you write your Thanksgiving-themed tweets in advance, and set them to fly out automatically on the fourth week of November while you re busy prepping your customers special dinner. Take advantage of apps that can automatically schedule your special offer tweet on umbrellas the next time rain is in the forecast.

11 Managing your brand Great customer reviews can have a direct effect on your business. Studies suggest if a hotel can boost its online user reviews by one point (on a five-point scale), it can increase its prices by about 11.25% without any drop-off in occupancy. 2 The problem? Bad reviews can be equally powerful. When they happen, you need to respond and you need to do it fast. 2

12 Overcoming the challenge Effectively managing your brand reputation means being constantly connected. Again, a mobile device, up-to-the-minute data, and a great network are an essential foundation. You ll also want to load it up with some social media monitoring tools that scour the net for mentions of your brand, and tip you off when you re being talked about. (Some you ll pay for, others, like Social Mention are free.)

13 Empowering your people When you re with a customer, having all the information you need makes all the difference allowing you to personalize your service and recommendations. But how do you empower yourself, and your people, to be true service superstars?

14 Overcoming the challenge Put customer and inventory information on tablets, and in the hands of your customer-facing staff. A great mobile point-of-sale solution will include these features as a matter of course.

15 Staying connected When you own a retail or hospitality business you can find yourself front-of-house, in the stockroom, and on-the-road all before noon. Wherever work takes you: Your team needs to be able to reach you (to escalate problems, and generally keep you in the loop) You need to be able to reach your crucial docs (the ones you run your business on)

16 Overcoming the challenge Leap into the cloud. Choose a cloud-based business voice solution instead of a traditional phone system, and you ll get one business number that rings on your mobile, laptop and tablet, but has all the functionality of a typical business phone system. Back this up with cloud-based docs and storage think G Suite, or Microsoft Office 365 and your productivity should skyrocket.

17 Minimizing paperwork When you re at an event, taking down the details of potential customers is a great feeling. What s less fun? Spending endless hours back at home, trying to decipher their handwritten addresses.

18 Overcoming the challenge Whether you re signing people up to your newsletter or signing guests into your hotel, seek to cut paper out of the chain. Mobile forms can save you a huge amount of time letting you capture clear, comprehensive information through your mobile device, and sharing it instantly with other parts of your business.

19 The handy recap Ready to beat those 8 challenges? Here s how 1. Start selling anywhere, anytime with mobile payment tech 2. Get smart about forecasting demand with sales data analytics 3. Stay on top of your finances with cloud accounting apps 4. Create buzz, even while you re busy with and social media automation 5. Keep your brand reputation spotless with social media monitoring services 6. Give power to your people with instant access to customer and inventory details 7. Keep yourself connected with cloud voice, documents and storage 8. End the paper trail with mobile forms

20 You don t have to do this alone. As a small retail or hospitality business, modern technology is your friend. A lot of the challenges you face will disappear when you pit them against secure, mobile devices, powerful cloud services, business apps, and a reliable network. And that s where we come in. We ll help you find the right solutions for your business. Then we ll get you set up, and keep you up and running with expert support. Call us at and we ll chat through it. Want to know more about our solutions, plans, offers and other helpful information to grow your small businesses? This is the place. For companies with people in them